#PDXPROTEST ATTENDEES
(thread)

I’m going downtown 2nite. Like lots of you who couldn’t be on the streets lately, I can’t bear the thought of not being there when shit hits the fan to help protect our fam

That means I’m about to do my regular pre-action prep. Here’s what I do:

Step 1: Time to do a self check in of my mental, emotional AND physical health.

• Still able bodied (for now)
- That means I can run to medic people or away from cops if necessary. I don’t feel the need to be on the outskirts tonight. Just means I need to make sure to stretch.

• Mental health is being actively managed
- Loved ones have helped to keep me accountable in taking my antidepressants despite low executive function
- I got medicine for my insomnia & have gotten good sleep the last two weeks. I’m alert and aware & not groggy.
- continues...

- I’ve been spending the last two weeks out of the immediate fray at less escalated protests. During that time I’ve been intentionally thinking through my triggers, practicing my grounding methods, & decompressing fear and trauma with friends & fam

- Continued...

CW: Suicide
- I’ve been actively working to address the sharp increase I’ve experienced in suicidal ideation. I’ve been thinking through what my loss would be to family & friends & community. I don’t feel concerned about panicking & putting myself @ risk of death by cop. I can go

Step 2: Transition from considering my emotional stability and safety to my risk assessment (RA) evaluation for the night. Here’s some things I consider every time I go out to an action with feds present:

• RA: Arrest
- Going puts me at risk of arrest. Point blank. So... cont:

- So it’s time for me to make sure my loved ones are prepared to do jail support. I’m going to give at least three friends:
• my fed name
• my birthday
• emergency contact #’s
• a list of meds I’m on
• a pic of my health insurance card
• each other’s numbers to coordinate

• RA - Arrest Cont
- I know I’ll be at risk of arrest no matter what I do. Time to assess how much I’ll be targeted & how far I’m willing to go in terms of risking arrest. I consider I’m:
-Black/Native
-AFAB
-queer
-highly visible in the community
-recognizable on site
-a SWer

(General CW) I know that the above aspects of my identity put me at elevated risk of:
-intentional targeting & brutality (Afro-Indigenous, highly visible, medic)
-sexual assault (queer, AFAB, visible sex worker)

Additionally —>

I’ve been visibly organizing to support disrupting and undermining the state on a local and federal level in multiple cities and across the border. I’ve been detained by Feds for hours before. They know who I am.

Black femme organizers get dissapeared/murdered by feds constantly

Considering this first type of risk assessment, here’s the conclusion I’ve reached today:

I am willing to be at the Justice Center, blocked up to a reasonable level, to assist in medic-ing folks, understanding my risk level AND preparing my loved ones for the risk Im taking.

I am going to do the best that I can to avoid arrest, while also recognizing the following:

I have an intimate familiarity with FEDERAL brutality, tactics, and the like. I feel prepared to spread calm & remain calm on the front lines. This is a needed skill.

Frontlines it’ll be

•Risk Assesment (RA) - Physical Violence

-Being downtown puts me @ risk of violence
-I’ve experienced this before, have a high pain tolerance, & am an experienced street medic.
-I’ve been a martial artist since 11
-I’m able bodied & know self defense
-I’m a former sprinter

Considering all the above:

-I feel confident in my deescalation skills to avoid interpersonal confrontations.
-I feel confident I can run away for a reasonable distance if need be
-I’ll be wearing a helmet, googles, elbow pads, arm guards, multiple layers & a respirator.

Now that I’ve decided that:
-I’m going
-I’ve prepared jail support systems for myself
-I understand what my level of risk I want to stick to for the night is and I will hold myself to my boundaries for the night.

It’s time to get ready to go! Here’s what’s on my checklist:

Protest Prep 101:
-Have I eaten recently? My body NEEDS extra fuel for the night because fight or flight responses to traumatic situations will flood my body with adrenaline & burn fuel to either stay alert and fight or run like hell worst comes to worse. Eat a full meal before.

-Have I done stretches and taken care of my body today before I engage in what is always a very physical activity?

-Am I hydrated? I try to drink a full bottle of water with enough time before an action that I can pee before I walk out the door. I’ll sip water @ the action too.

-Have I located all my gear for the night and packed my med bag?
I need:
-A well organized medic bag
-An outfit to wear downtown inconspicuously
-Black bloc to change into
-A change of clothes to debloc
-Water & energy bar
-PPE & improvised armor
-A charged external battery
-cont

-Goggles to make sure I don’t get too fucked
-GLASSES instead of contacts so if I get gassed contacts don’t fuse to my eyeball
-My inhaler
-Hand sanitizer, mask
-sharpies
-the nlg number on me in 2 spots

I’m sure I’m forgetting something but that’s a good basic checklist.

Once I’ve got all that together, it’s time to let my friends know I’m getting ready to head out. I’ll coordinate on signal with folks I know downtown or available for support.

I’ll make sure I don’t have my fingerprint or Face ID active on my phone. I won’t take selfies.

While I’m downtown I’ll only communicate on secure networks (signal, wire, etc)

I’ll make sure my crew has charged walkie talkies as our primary communication.

I won’t take any videos or pics except of cop/fed bruatlity. I’ll send them to folks immediately just in case.

That’s a good basic intro. But I need y’all to know: organizing and standing up against the feds is a whole other level.

Don’t carry weed on you. It’s a federal crime & they’ll try to stick you with every charge they can. Stay together. Stay tight. SPREAD CALM. Try not to panic.

I meant to leave the house 10 minutes ago. But got caught up writing this because I’m desperate for y’all to learn how to engage in this movement as safely as possible to keep us all safe and avoid stiff charges w/ accidental evidence for cops.

Don’t talk to cops. See y’all soon